GOING TO WAR
IN 1862 .
By SAMUEL HARRIS
Late 1st Lieutenant Company A, 5th Mich. Ca\alry '
^
With CoiniAiments of
SAMUEL HARRIS & CO.
MACHINISTS' AND MANUFACTURERS'
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
114 and 116 N. Clinton Street
Between Washington and Randolph Sts.
CHICAGO
SAMUEL HARRIS
Late First Licutcnant^Ccmpany A, Fiflh Michigan Cavalii
Born September 15lh, 1836
THE BOYS OF '62 TO '65
I helped to raise a company to ^o with the Fifth Mich-
igan Cavahy. I was to be First Lieutenant of the Com-
pany. I went into Detroit with 117 men, a man claiming
to be from headquarters told me to take my Company
out about two miles to an old corn field.
The next day several tents were sent out, also a lot of
lumber to build barracks. I set my men at work and
soon had a shelter for them. No person could dispute
our right to be Company A.
Soon other companies came and the regiment was filled
up. Major Freeman Norwell was from the regular army,
drilled the officers and they in turn drilled the men on
foot. Soon our horses arrived, then we began clriUing on
horse-back. It was fun to see some of the officers and
men that had never ridden a horse try to stay on the
saddle.
About the last of August Colonel Smith was sent to us
to see that all measured up in heights and then muster us
into the United States service.
Colonel Smith was about seventy years old, half blind,
a short and very fat man. I had a large arm chair and a
table placed near the front door as it was a very warm day
telling the Colonel he would be more comfortable there.
I had three boards put up about five feet from the back
door and a soap box behind. I had about a half dozen
boys that were from two to four inches too short so I had
them stand on the soap box and the trick was not dis-
covered.
The next day Colonel Smith swore us into the United
States service. Just as he started a stranger stepped be-
tween the Captain and myself and said he was to be First
Lieutenant of our Company. The boys broke ranks
immediately and refused to be sworn into the United
States service. I stepped to the front and told the boys
that I would take the Second Lieutenancy and told them
to go back in ranks, that it would be all right. The inci-
dent passed without further trouble. We drilled for
several weeks.
About the first of December, 1862, I received an order
to take my Company and 400 of the horses of the regiment
and go to Washington, D. C. (The order said an officer
would be sent ahead to have a camp ready for us). We
loaded the horses on the cars and got started about noon.
I found I had an old worn out smoking car with not
enough seats for all the men to sit down, much less to lay
down. We had run about fifty miles when we had to
side-track to let another train pass.
I saw the fence was made of fine boards. I told the
men to take off the boards but not to split them. I had
them taken into the car, the men cut them long enough
to lay across two seats. We turned every other seat over
which made a lower berth for two. For the upper berths
I had long boards placed on top of the backs of the seats.
Several men slept in the aisle. I had one of the upper
berths with the soft side of a board rolled up in my over-
coat and blanket for a hair mattress and with my big
cavalry boots rolled up for a pillow. This was the Pull-
man sleeping car we had.
The next day about 5 o'clock we reached Rochester,
Pennsylvania, about 15 miles from Pittsl)urgh. We had
to stop for the conductor to get running orders. Soon he
came to me and said we had less than 30 minutes to make
the depot in Pittsburgh. We ran ahead to see the engi-
neer. I found him one of the finest specimens of a man
I ever saw, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 35 years old.
He looked as though he never drank liquor of any kind.
His fireman was of the same stamp. I asked the engineer
if he could do it. He said, "Yes." I told him to wait till
I got on my car and not to start or stop too quick as it
might throw my horses down. I ran and got on my car
and gave the signal to go. We ran into the depot at
Pittsburgh on the left hand track as the passenger train
was pulling out on the other track. "SAFE." We
stopped with my car in the depot. I called out asking
where there was a yard that I could unload my horses to
feed and water them. A man jumped aboard and told
the conductor to pull ahead about 20 rods along side a
yard. I called out that I had one hundred hungry men.
Someone answered as soon as you get your horses cared
for to come back and they would have a good hot supper
for us up stairs in the depot. After seeing the horses
well fed and plenty of water, we started on the run for
dinner.
Thanks to the good ladies of Pittsburgh ])oth young
and old for a supper fit for a King. We went back to
the yard and loaded our horses and soon started for Har-
risburg. Here we found a yard where we could unload
the horses and feed and water them, also the good people
gave a hot meal to us for which we were very thankful.
We soon loaded the horses and started for Baltimore and
Washington. I expected trouble in going through Bal-
timore, as our train had to be uncoupled and drawn
through the streets by horses one car at a time. We got
through Baltimore about one o'clock at night, hungry is
no name for it. You must remember we were in semi-
rebellion, no man or women old or young would give a
Yankee anything to eat. Some of the boys found a lot of
raw oysters in the depot, but I will let John Allen Bigelow
tell the story, to whom I wrote for some pointers.
Birmingham, Mich.
Dear Lieut. Harris: — Yours received and mighty glad
to know you are still on the job. I say stick to it. You
ask if I can give you any pointers, will say, there are two
items which I do not think have ever been dilated upon.
When we arrived in Pittsburgh in looking over the state
of the horses seven were found in mighty bad shape, some
with legs broken, etc., etc. Percy Leggett came to me and
said, "John, there is an opportunity to trade horses but 1
am not an extra judge and want you to come with me and
see to it that I am not cheated." Our train was shunted
on a siding near a Government Corral where there were
about a thousand or more horses and Percy, together with
two others and m3^self took out our seven broken legged
animals, turned them in the Government Corral and took
out seven good horses in their place. You must remem-
ber this was in the night and our train was being run on
what they called WILD TIME, that is so as not to inter-
fere with regular trains, and sometimes we would lay half
a day or more on a siding which would give the men ample
time to do several things. Then at Baltimore we laid
over in the large depot and the men, in meandering around,
found a large consignment of oysters. They were in boxes
about two feet long and large enough to hold two dozen
cans. Some unregenerated kuss picked up one of these
boxes, put it on his shoulder and said ''Let's find some nice
C}uiet restaurant and have our breakfast cooked." This
was now just coming daylight and we finally found what
looked like a nice respectable place. We went in and
found the proprietor and wife just getting things in shape
so we made a bargain with them to cook what we wanted
and furnish crackers and butter for which we would give
them twelve cans. Six of us had a fairly good fill of
Very respectfully yours,
JOHN ALLEN BIGELOW.
Several other boys found the oysters and brought a l:>ox
apiece into our car, and all the rest of us had a good fill of
raw oysters, no crackers. It was just getting dayhght.
Soon we started for Washington, forty miles away, where
we arrived about nine o'clock the next night, hungry, cold
and tired. We were run onto a side track about 20 rods
outside the old Baltimore & Ohio depot.
I ran into the depot to find the officer sent ahead to have
a camp provided for us. He was nowhere to be found.
After about an hour a young officer appeared and said
we had better go out on Capitol Hill. I found a nice place
about two miles east of the Capitol where there were
several regiments camped. Not far from us was the
Seventeenth Pennsylvania Cavalry.
As soon as we halted I told the men to holler as loud
as they could ''Rations, Coffee, Hardtack." Soon the
Colonel and a large number of officers and men of the
Seventeenth came over to see what the trouble was. I
told the colonel about our fix. He told his men to go back
and bring over hardtack, coffee and wood to keep us
warm, hay and oats for our horses.
In a short time we all had plenty to eat and fires to keep
us warm, many thanks to the Seventeenth Penns^dvania
Cavalry. The next day the government sent us tents and
plenty of rations.
With <'t)ini>liinent)< uf
SAMUEL HARRIS & CO.
MACHINISTS' AND MANUFACTURERS'
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
114 and IIG N. Clinton Street
Between Washington and Randolph Sts.
CHICAGO
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